Kia to launch 48V diesel mild-hybrid powertrain

Kia Motors will introduce its first 48V diesel mild-hybrid powertrain in the second half of 2018, which will be the first new powertrain launched under Kia’s wider 2025 electrification strategy.

The EcoDynamics+ diesel mild-hybrid powertrain will enable Kia to offer cleaner diesel engines. The system reduces CO2 emissions by supplementing acceleration with electric power from an additional 48-volt battery and extending combustion engine ‘off time’ using a new Mild-Hybrid Starter-Generator unit.

The technology can be integrated into existing vehicle and powertrain architectures without impacting practicality or packaging.

The Kia Sportage will be the first model to offer the new EcoDynamics+ diesel mild-hybrid powertrain later in 2018. The all-new third-generation Kia Ceed will be the second among a range of Kia models to offer the new powertrain from 2019.

The introduction of the new 48-volt powertrain means Kia is the first manufacturer to offer consumers hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery-electric and 48-volt technology across its model line-up. Kia plans to launch 16 advanced powertrain vehicles by 2025, including five new hybrids, five plug-in hybrids, five battery-electric vehicles and – in 2020 – a new fuel-cell electric vehicle.

The system is paired with Kia’s Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) active emissions control technology, reducing CO2 emissions by up to four per cent on the new Worldwide harmonized Light vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP), and up to seven per cent on the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC).

Kia’s mild-hybrid technology features a compact 0.46 kWh 48-volt lithium-ion battery and a new Mild-Hybrid Starter-Generator (MHSG). By electronically controlling the MHSG using the inverter, the system seamlessly between ‘motor’ and ‘generator’ modes. Connected by a belt to the diesel engine’s crankshaft, under acceleration the MHSG provides up to 10kW of electric power assistance to the powertrain in ‘motor’ mode, reducing engine load and emissions. In ‘generator’ mode, the system harvests kinetic energy from the vehicle during in-gear deceleration and braking and uses the power to recharge the batteries.